High Sierra AT Expandable Wheeled Duffel Bag with Backpack Straps, Cactus/Shadow/Black, 32-Inch

I don't know if my negative review is a direct result of shoddy workmanship or just some extra aggressive baggage handlers but I'll just explain what happened. Everything seemed fine with the suitcase when I got. It seemed very sturdy and roomy. It was able to hold a lot and having the option of converting it into a back pack was exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately the suitcase never survived it's first trip. I traveled to Germany from NYC and everything was fine. But then halfway through my trip, traveling from Germany to Turkey - disaster struck. I go to retrieve my bag at the airport in Izmir Turkey and it comes off the baggage claim all taped up. The entire top portion of the suitcase had been ripped off at the zipper. The zipper and all the seams had been torn open. I lost all the clothes in the top portion of the case and the suitcase itself was a total loss. Again, I don't really know if it's the fault of how the suitcase was made or if the baggage handlers in Turkey are just that vicious but the bottom line for me was that this suitcase did not survive it's maiden voyage.

I have had several High Sierra bags and have been very happy with them. Tow of my older bags work just as well now as they did when I bought them, years ago. They have seen daily use in our household. We have two children who have a lot of medical problems and they have "luggage" that travels with them carrying their essential medical equipment with the. I ordered this for my own personal use. My husband and I take the occasional short trip and we thought this would be just the right size for us to take. I liked the partition for clothes. I packed his items and shoes in the bottom compartment and my lighter weight shirts and socks in the top section. Even the light weight stuff was too much weight for the partition. It started to rip at the seam almost immediately. What a disappointment. The case does not hold it's shape well either. There are plastic sheets rivet into the lining to keep it's shape but they bend easily and don't g back into place. I was pretty disappointed in the case and returned it when we got home from the trip.

Added 2013-03-17: I've since taken this bag on 3 international trips and I've found it to be more useful than I originally thought. I've had multiple occasions when I appreciated the "backpack" straps - usually when I have to deal with stairs. And the size turns out to be reasonable whenever I have souvenirs to bring back. There's no sign of anything breaking down. original review: This is a good bag if you want a bag with a HUGE voluum. I was skeptical about the backpack straps, but they came in handy one time when I stayed on a 4th floor room with no elevator. Carrying a conventional suitcase up to the 4th floor would have been agony; walking up with this "backpack" on my back was much easier. I feel the bag is a little more complicated than necessary. I find no good reason for having a zipper in the middle (in addition to the "top") because there's no good way to strap contents on the inside to the "top" side. The straps on the side worry me too, because they don't go across the "top" zipper - the zipper takes all the weight. Personally I find this bag to be too large, because if I pack for a typical travel (clothes, pair of shoes, toiletaries), it ends up exceeding the 50-lb limit for airline checked luggage. But this amount of volume may be useful if you have bulky items that are packed in lightweight cases or boxes.

This has survived several European trips so far. The wheels seem very sturdy, even on the bumpiest of cobblestones, knarly escalators and have taken everything that the airlines throw at it. I love the backpack straps for when there's no elevators, or you just need an extra hand. I also love how I know that it's my suitcase as soon as I see it. No one else has this lovely green color and I get compliments on the set. I have the carry on size and am planning on getting the medium size one too. My husband and myself have carried the suitcase, fully loaded with ease. It sits high on the back. I also love the expandable zippers. This comes in handy on the return trip when you've acquired a few souvenirs or didn't pack it back in as neatly as you packed on the way there.

I love the idea of this bag and I have it in the 22 inch as well, which works pretty well as a carryon (often is too large for upper compartment nowadays, but if you pack items in front pouch in a bag before putting them in the pouch, you can pull out bag and fit both in upper compartment with no trouble). The 32 inch one, though, starts out empty at 15 pounds, only leaving room for 35 pounds of stuff! Unless you are packing a bunch of down coats and helium balloons, there is almost no way to make use of the large amount of space without going over the airline weight limit. This bag is now relegated to my parents' basement and pulled out only when I move apartments. It's too large for most car travel (would fill up the better part of a trunk) and too heavy for air travel. I do LOVE the concept, however, and I'm pretty darn fond of my 22 inch one. There needs to be a 28 inch one with the weight cut in half. I guess it will exist only in my dreams.

It is a decent rolling duffle. I used it on two trips abroud and i'm glad you carry it like a duffle, roll it, or wear it like a back pack. I did have several issues with it. The zippers aren't made with holes for luggage locks. I wish I would've known before purchasing. Not that a lock would prevent theft, but we were left with putting locks through rope pull tabs. Also, the pastic piece that allows the luggage to stand didn't prevent the bottom from ripping from wear and tear.

I bought this to use on a vacation we were going on and my husband wanted me to "condense" things since we were taking his luggage, two golden retrievers and a cooler all in a Chevy Tahoe. This worked great as it has four compartments to separate things and with the weight I made it, the handle and wheels worked perfect. With this and my husband's small amount of possessions we had plenty of room for the dogs for traveling. I did not give this five stars as to me, this isn't a Duffel at all. Maybe my impression of a duffel is a bag I can easily lift and carry but this was not possible. With everything inside, the metal frame around the bottom, wheels and pull handle, I had no choice but to pull this everywhere. The cloth handle on top was useless and I don't think anyone would be able to carry this like a normal duffel bag as with the frame around it, you could not get it near you to carry easily; you'd have to hold your arm away from your side. Still a great piece of luggage I was glad I had and will use again.

Recently ordered 2 of these bags for my trip from New York to Australia. Thanks to these bags, I should be able to fit everything I would need during my year abroad. The inside of the bag can be packed from bottom to top, or you can use a separator to create 2 separate spaces for clothes and accessories. The bag also has backpack straps, which is pretty cool, although you may get a few strange looks if you're seen carrying this huge bag on your back! Wheels are made good and handle is sturdy. Highly recommend getting this bag online. Amazon offered this bag for about $30 cheaper than Macys (which had this on sale)! Great Buy!